Department of Tourism

     Tourism is recognized as one of the world’s most dynamic, fastest growing and exciting universal industry. Supporting over 270 million jobs worldwide and 6 million jobs in Thailand (figure as of 2014 by the World Travel & Tourism Council), the tourism industry offers a multitude of career opportunities, both at home and abroad.


Internationally oriented and locally focused, this multidisciplinary program brings together the academic study of tourism and the practical development of operational and management skills to give students a balanced start to their career. Analytic and assessment ability cultivated from this program also makes students highly employable not only for the tourism sector but also for diverse businesses and industries worldwide.

Key Benefits

• Study is undertaken in one of the most conductive learning environments in Thailand as culturally infused Chiang Mai and her hospitable & lively people are tourist attractions at their best. Even Chiang Mai University itself is an incredibly popular tourist spot;  
• Cutting-edge multidisciplinary program & vocationally oriented courses are evidently expedient for the tourism industry as well as any tourism- and service-related occupation;
• Notable academic staff provide excellence in teaching and occupational skills development, ensuring students receive a high quality of learning;
• Compulsory work replacements & internship in the tourism sector or related businesses of their interest renders invaluable first-hand experience and employment prospects  to students;
• Graduates are automatically entitled Licensed Tour Guide, thanks to an ongoing professional partnership and coordination with the Department of Tourism, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. This means their career is secured right after their graduation.

Reflecting the multidimensional variety of the travel industry, this BA program is designed to cover both tourism and hospitality fields. Alongside compulsory core courses, students are able to choose from a range of optional courses, allowing them to specialize and develop skills in the areas relevant to their interests and future career aspirations.
Over the course of four years, students are required to complete at least 131 credits. In each of the seven semesters--- from Year One to the first half of Year Four---, they will take six or seven individual courses, normally valued at 3.0 or 2.0 credits each, adding up to 18.0 – 21.0 credits for the semester. Students dedicate their last semester to internships/ work placements in the tourism sectors they are interested in, counted as 6.0 credits.  
     In the first year, students are introduced to various fundamental aspects of the tourism industry through their core courses, one of which is Religions and Thai Local Wisdoms for Tourism, while such module as Man and Quest for Knowledge and Reading and Literary World sharpen their ability to read & write effectively as well as to think & analyze critically.  Other compulsory courses such as communicative English, statistics, accounting, information technology instill well-rounded skill sets in the students.  
    In the second year, seven innovative core courses, for example, Ecotourism, Creative Tourism, Tourism Resources & Thai Heritage, and Tourism & Hotel Marketing, steer students towards the more in-depth, multi-dimensional approaches to the industry. The Psychology and Cross-Cultural Communication course is especially beneficial for students’ customer-oriented future careers. Students are free to choose another two tourism-related courses from an extensive range the Department offers, as well as two modern language courses and one sciences & mathematics course of their liking.
    In the third year, students move on to a variety of vocationally oriented courses such as Passenger Transportation, Tourism Event Operations, and Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition Business. Simultaneously, courses like Professional Ethics and Law for Tourism and Hotel and Tourist Behavior give them a savoir faire in the business. Similar to Year Two, students also choose another two tourism courses, two modern language courses, and one elective course.
     In the fourth year, among an alley of modules, students enjoy courses at the managerial & decision-making level such as Tourism Development Planning and Tourism Impact and Management, have fun with hands-on learning in Airline Business and Ticketing Reservation, and open their horizons through Seminar in Tourism and Hotel Industry. In their second semester, students undertake an internship in a tourism sector or business of their interest.

Graduates of the Department of Tourism go on to achieve success in a wide range of tourism & hospitality related fields include airlines, tour operating companies, hotels, and many more.
Career destinations include:

• Supervisor, the Front Office Department, Le Meridien Hotel Chiang Mai
• Bar Supervisor, Club Med Kanifinolhu, Maldives
• Flight attendants at Thai Airways International and many other leading airlines 

Department of Tourism, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University

239, Huay Kaew Road, Muang District, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand

Tel 053 943297

Fax 053 892330

E-mail: noppadon.c@cmu.ac.th

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tourismcmu